Firefighters arrive to dampen hot spots in St Agnes

Crews are back at the scene

Firefighters have arrived back on the St Agnes hillside to dampen down hotspots.

More as we get it.

10:12

Couple watched the fierce fire spread near their home

A gorse fire close to houses in St Agnes, believed to have been started by a stray firework (Image: Sarah Bunt Photography)

A man who was walking his dog along the cliffs this morning said that he had seen the whole incident. The man, who lives just in front of the cliffs where the fire started said: “You can see what happened. My wife and I hadn’t actually gone down to watch the fireworks because the dog doesn’t like them.

“We were in the house just down there and the fire started right behind us. It was a bit of a worry but luckily the fire crews controlled it. They made sure it would spread further down the cliff and luckily the wind was blowing the right way too.”

He said the firefighters must have stayed there until about around 11.30pm and added: “Its just one of those accidents that happen, you can’t help it. I feel sorry for the pub really, it’s a shame.”

10:02

Account of how fire service struggled to reach the blaze

A fire engine struggles to get past parked cars after a gorse fire at St Agnes (Image: Matt Rawicki)

A young man who lives up the road from Trevaunance Cove with his parents said that the amount of cars on the narrow lane caused “real problems” for the fire brigade to get through.

He said: “You could see loads of people had parked all along the road to come down and watch the display and there wasn’t enough room for the fire engine to get down. It got stuck a couple of times. It was really hard for them.

“I heard that someone’s car had to get pushed down to the beach to get it out the way.”

He added of the fire: “It was quite a shock to see it go up like that, but it’s just one of those things. I don’t think there can be any blame for it. It’s a shame, but at least no one was hurt.”

09:59

Blaze was "very scary" says onlooker at the firework display

A gorse fire close to houses in St Agnes, believed to have been started by a stray firework (Image: Sarah Bunt Photography)

One woman who lives in one of the houses just in front of where the blaze was last night said that it was “scary to see it so close”.

She said: “We were down there last night watching the fireworks, it was lovely. There was a really good atmosphere it was the perfect cold crisp night. The Driftwood had done a fantastic job it was a great display as always.

“Then the fire started. Everyone was evacuated and pushed back out of the way. The Driftwood staff were excellent, it was handled really well.

“It was very scary to see it so close. It sort of started in two lines. The speed in which is just went up was frightening. It was quite worrying because our house is just down there and one of the houses along the road is thatch so I think they were quite worried, but no property was damaged and no one was hurt which is the main thing.”

She added: “The firemen were absolutely brilliant. It was hard for them because it was so dark and smokey and they had to get up the footpath. There were people parked everywhere on the road and the truck struggled to get past.

“At the end of the day, it was an accident. It could have happened anywhere to anyone.”

09:41

Before and After: Latest pictures from the scene

A gorse fire close to houses in St Agnes, believed to have been started by a stray firework (Image: Sarah Bunt Photography)

Above is how it looked from a distance last night and below is how it looks up close this morning.

09:28

Witness tells of how firemen pushed car into ditch and how fleeing motorists blocked the road

Tosh Barnfield, who watched the fire at St Agnes unfold

Firefighters had to push one car into a ditch so they could reach the gorse fire, according to a neighbour of the Driftwood Spas pub.

And people leaving the area after the fireworks display had been cancelled – as the flames swept up the hillside – blocked the fire engines coming in the other way.

Tosh Barnfield, who lives next to the Driftwood Spas pub, was helping on the barbecue for the fireworks display when someone said to him: “The hillside’s on fire by your house.”

Mr Barnfield said he rushed up the lane and began hosing down the thatch roof of a neighbouring property, in case of falling sparks from the blaze nearby.

He said: “I realised there was going to be a huge access problem. I think the fire service had to push one car in a ditch on the road so they could get through.

“As soon as the fireworks stopped, people realised they wanted to get away. They were all driving away as the fire engines were trying to get down. It was only single lane traffic you see, because of all the parked cars.”

Mr Barnfield added: “The fire went straight up the cliff face. It’s quite dry there with lots of gorse and bracken. Being ex-military and having fire training, I realised the flames weren’t going to come back down where the houses were. The biggest danger was to Wheal Kitty. The fire service had seen it spread so quickly and they knew they needed to attack it from the top.”

09:03

It's not just in St Agnes that firefighters battle terrible parking

Posting on Facebook, a team member of the Penzance Community Fire Station said: “Today Penzance Fire Station were mobilised to a washing machine fire within a domestic property. Due to the parking in and around the area the Fire appliance was unable to get within 200m of the property. Fortunately for all the washing machine was out on the arrival of Fire Service. Please consider Emergency Service access before parking your vehicle.”

08:56

The first fire: St Agnes Beacon could take 20 years to recover

(Image: Tolvaddon Fire Station)

This is the second serious fire in St Agnes this year.

Here’s what happened earlier in June:

The National Trust has said that the important heathland habitat of St Agnes Beacon could take as long as 20 years to recover from a devastating gorse fire yesterday, Tuesday, June 20.

Fire crews were still at the scene of the fire almost 24 hours after the first calls came in when smoke was spotted rising from the popular beauty spot opposite St Agnes Head.